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HackPSU

Project Type

Website and Brand Design

Date

2023-2024

Role

Design Director

Link

hackpsu.org

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Synopsis

As Design Team Director at HackPSU—Penn State’s largest student-run hackathon—I led a cross-functional team responsible for shaping the visual identity and digital presence of the event. My team collaborated with the marketing and tech teams to ensure cohesive branding across our website and social media. Our goal: attract participants and sponsors through intentional, engaging design.

Challenge

The Spring website, themed around Earth Day, drew strong participation but lacked visual consistency. The design suffered from mismatched fonts, clashing color palettes, and an inconsistent art style—issues that detracted from the user experience and brand cohesion.

Objective

For HackPSU’s 10th anniversary, we set out to:

  • Develop a more unified brand identity

  • Create a visually consistent and accessible website

  • Design a celebratory new theme: Carnival

Process

1. Research and Discovery:

We interviewed a variety of users within the organization to gather feedback on pain points in navigation and clarity. I also collaborated closely with the Tech Team Director to ensure technical feasibility early in the process.

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2. Ideation & Branding:

Co-created a shared brand guideline document (typography, color palette, illustration style) with the marketing team

Used past websites as a structural reference

Created wireframes and mockups in Figma to explore layout and hierarchy

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3. Design and Iteration:

  • Developed scalable vector assets in Adobe Illustrator

  • Assigned sections to individual designers

  • Held weekly critiques to ensure alignment with brand guidelines and usability

  • Incorporated feedback from internal and external stakeholders

Design Principles

  • User-Centered Design: Interviews and testing with participants, designers, and first-time users shaped key decisions

  • Consistency: Unified typography, color palette, and style across website, merch, and promotional assets

  • Responsive Design: Collaborated with technology team developers to test for usability across screen sizes and devices

Key Takeaways

  • Led a design team through ideation, execution, and review cycles

  • Gained a deeper appreciation for design systems and consistency

  • Improved my skills in team communication, feedback loops, and stakeholder alignment

  • Saw firsthand how thoughtful UI/UX design can enhance engagement and brand recognition​

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Additional Notes:

  • If I were to approach this project again, I would use more user experience methods such as empathy mapping and journey mapping

  • Also, I would conduct more usability tests on participants external to the organization

Landing Page.png

Outcome

  • Increased participant engagement: The Fall event saw a rise in sign-ups compared to the previous semester, partially attributed to clearer, more inviting site design.

  • Improved brand perception: Post-event surveys showed a higher satisfaction rating for the website’s usability and aesthetics.

  • Streamlined collaboration: The branding document and weekly reviews introduced this semester are now used as standard practice for all HackPSU design projects moving forward.

  • Enhanced usability: Our responsive design testing ensured smooth performance across mobile and desktop, with fewer tech support requests during registration.

Landing Page of HackPSU's 10th Anniversary Website

HackPSU's 10th Anniversary Branding Document

Hosted Design Team Weekly Critiques

HackPSU's Previous "Earth Day" Website Design

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